


The Tangled Web

by TheArborealWalrus



Category: For Honor (Video Game)
Genre: Action & Romance, Dark Past, F/M, Forbidden Love, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:34:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28543398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArborealWalrus/pseuds/TheArborealWalrus
Summary: Warden Markus Lupen has been sent by his commander to find the bandit warlord known as The Red Spider. Unfortunately for him he's captured by the Dawn Empire while in pursuit. This is only the beginning of his troubles as he finds himself increasingly attracted to one of his captors. This "simple" scouting mission just keeps getting more and more complicated.
Relationships: Warden/Nobushi
Kudos: 15





	1. The Chase

Markus ripped his sopping wet boot out of the stinking muck of the swamp. Of all the places for the bandits to have fled to, this was one of the worst. He was supposed to be with a detachment from the iron legion chasing them in the western geyser fields. The marauders fleeing to the eastern swamps made perfect sense though. The heavy armor of the legion was little but a hazard out here. A shame that he was wearing some. His chainmail weighed him down in the sucking mud and the quilted vest over it trapped in all of the humid air's warmth. His quad split heavy skirt routinely dragged in the water and would catch on the razor sharp thorns that seemed to cover all the vegetation. Calling it a hell hole was putting it mildly. Small wonder his commander had sent him in to “scout things out.” More like the latest attempt to get him killed. Whilst he was working with the iron legion, he was not one of them. His own legion had been nearly annihilated by the very same men who had sent him here. After the great war he understood their hatred. No one had walked away unscarred. Even the current wars were steeped in that bloody conflict. He wasn't here to reminisce however! If he wanted any chance to rebuild his legion he needed to find and eliminate The Red Spider for the iron legion. Without their charismatic leader, it was likely that the other bandits would simply join one of the mercenary bands thriving on the constant warfare. Not a perfect solution, but it would do. Now he just had to find the bastard. 

Markus lifted the visor of his blackened steel helm to wipe the sweat from his brow. This was becoming unbearable. He had traveled along the swampy “trail” since he had started at first light. It was now becoming dusk. To make matters worse, the “trail” was nothing but a long series of lanterns rather than any proper road! He hadn't seen any land to take a respite from the unceasing waters for hours. As he continued to trudge through the spiny, vine infested water, he finally spotted something. Dry land! Or at least less wet land. There was but one problem. A building sat atop the earthen mound. One of the Japanese refugees' by the style. That meant he was in the Dawn Empire's lands. Hostile territory in other words. It was too late to turn back now though. He sloshed towards the lone building. A guard house if he had to guess. They had undoubtedly spotted him by now. The real question was why had they not attacked him yet. The dawn empire and the legions weren't exactly on good terms. As he got closer the answer became clear. The door was ripped from it's hinges. 

He drew his longsword. He doubted that he'd need it as he could already smell blood over the stinking swamp water, but it never paid to be careless. He cautiously walked to the door frame. He could already see a body. Puffy pants and sandles, in the empire's blue. A border guard. His armor was of the lacquered wood common among lesser samurai warriors. In their hellish swamps, there simply wasn't enough steel to go around. Only the elite of the empire were permitted steel armor. The smell of blood was overwhelming, he – He blinked and was back in the raid on that bloody night. So many had died that it was said the streets had run red with it. All he could hear was the screams as he was surrounded by the bodies. He clutched his head and the screams stopped. He opened his eyes. He was still at the doorway of the guardhouse. The air still stank of blood, he even tasted it in his mouth, but the sea of bodies had become the legs of the guard in the doorway. If there had been anyone within they would likely have taken the opportunity to attack him by now. His guard dropped fractionally. 

In a building this size he might expect to find 3 guards. Given the splinters and lack of a weapon, the first seemed to have been holding the door. Killed with a great weapon by the looks of it. He stepped over the body into the room. 3 beds lined the walls and a card table lay flipped onto the ground with a cooking pot in the center. On the wall the second guard had been impaled and then decapitated. He found the warrior's head in the cooking pot, still burbling on the central fire. His lips curled in disgust. Bad enough that the raiders had killed them, but to dishonor the bodies? Despicable. It was far from the worst he had seen however. He put out the fire before moving into the next room. The screen door was completely obliterated and on the sunken floor lay the third guard. To his horror, it seemed as though someone had ripped out his throat with a crude weapon. The warrior seemed to be unarmed however. Markus kneeled by the body. What had looked like crude weapon strikes actually revealed itself to be … bite wounds? Someone or something had specifically eaten this man. Markus suppressed a shudder. Tales of such things were increasing in frequency of late. A flint and tinder lay next to the man alongside a small tube. He picked up the tube and smelled it. “Ugh,” he grunted, bringing it away. The tube reeked of blackpowder. He had heard of the samurai's signal flares, but had never seen one. A potentially useful tool. He pocketed it. With little besides rations in the small chamber, Markus headed out. Relatively fresh tracks pointed towards the east, deeper in the swamp. With a direction, Markus headed out. 

The tracks ended in the water, but the spider's men shouldn't know he was coming. To be honest, that was his best advantage alongside the encroaching darkness. He wished that any of his former maniple were with him. He was certain that Vedia, a peace keeper assassin, could have found the red spider in no time. If he was honest with himself, he missed them more than he could say. The darkness made the swamp feel all the more threatening. Especially with an unknown number of enemies around. He was too seasoned to let that frighten him,but there did seem to be a different source of light besides the last rays of the sun. As the shadows continued to fall, an orange glow came from what he guessed was a mile up ahead! Perhaps the spiders camp? He picked up his pace through the brackish water. 

As he got closer the flames didn't come from camp fires or watch lanterns, but a burning village. Bodies were strewn across the walkways and were draped over window sills. By the style of the buildings and the villagers' garb this had been a small Japanese village. Raised on wooden beams, walkways and houses perched over the stagnant water. A third of it seemed to have been set to the torch and despite the oppressive humidity the fires seemed set to consume more. At a hundred feet he saw what he had been expecting, some of Red Spider's gang. There were eight of them cackling like hyenas. Most were conscripts turned bandits, but it seemed that there were 3 serious fighters. One of the cannibalistic “shamans,” wrapped in furs and little else, armed with a pair of stone daggers. An armored conquerer in a chain shirt and steel pauldrons, armed with a flail and a shield. Finishing off the set was a massive raider. An open faced helmet and a shoulder pad were his only armor and he carried a massive dane axe. Well, the shaman explained the half eaten man, now all he had to do was - Amidst the coarse laughter he could hear women weeping. 

Dammit. 

“Why can't I just eat them and be done with it!?” whined the shaman. The fire revealed blood dripping from her feral, angular face. 

Markus was getting close now, almost beneath their platform. He drew his longsword. 

A deep, gruff voice barked an irritated reply, “Because you had your fun back at the signal house.” 

From the position Markus guessed it to be the raider. Only the conqueror wore enough armor to give his longsword any problems. Separating them would be the hard part. He didn't think he could take them all by - 

Buckles jangled as the raider spoke again, “Now we're going to have some fun.” Dark chuckles came from the assembled men. 

Shit. 

If he wanted to stop this atrocity he had to do something now! The conqueror's unarmored boot landed right above him. … There was an idea. 

“I call first dibs on the one with the – AAAAHHHH!!!” The conqueror was cut off by the blade of a longsword impaling his foot. He collapsed to one knee as the others whirled to face him. 

“What the hells just happened?” laughed the shaman, not understanding the danger yet. 

Some of the other bandits began looking around as the conqueror spoke, “Something just split my damned foot in half, is what happened!” 

One of the conscripts put his face to the boards to get a look through them. Markus made eye contact before driving his blade through the bandit's head. One down. 

“You mean from beneath the planks?” asked the raider. He turned towards the man Markus had just killed, “McGlenty, do you see anything?” At his lack of response the raider kicked him. It seemed the jig was up. McGlenty's remaining face was revealed and the raider bellowed, “There's someone under there! Get after them!” The uninjured others rushed to obey. Markus took the opportunity to impale the foot of another marauder who fell face first into the railing. Two down. 

The shaman leapt into the water on the other end of the platform from Markus with 2 of the conscripts. The third jumped down near him. With a roar they charged. 

“Path of least resistance,” mused Markus and rushed the lone bandit. A look of dawning panic came across his face as Markus bulldozed through him. The scrawny former farmer was no match for the fully armored knight. Equally the thin gambeson he wore was no match for a longsword crafted in the lava flows of Ashfield. Three down. 

“It's a warden!” cried the shaman as she splashed after him. 

“Can you tell what legion, or is he a merc?” shouted the raider. 

She was out from under the platform when she replied, “Not any that I've seen!” 

The ramp up to the platforms was 10 or so feet away from Markus but the shaman was gaining fast. He'd need solid ground beneath him if he were to have any chance. Once his soaked boots made contact with wood he stood and braced. 

There was an animalistic shriek behind him. 

He had been expecting this and thrust his sword backwards. Steel met flesh and a searing pain bit into his shoulder. Markus turned to see the startled face of the shaman and a dagger between his pauldron and helmet. He grunted and ripped his sword free. The angle made the move more awkward, but he spun and slashed his blade through the shaman's neck. Her body fell to its knees before toppling off the platform. 

The two remaining bandit conscripts approached cautiously after their slain champion. 

Markus backed onto the wider platform. It reeked of fish and was littered with large baskets. From his left he heard clapping. 

It was the raider, the conqueror trailing after him. “That was a fine show!” He held his massive dane axe in one hand and kissed the tips of his fingers. 

Markus had only seen the gesture done by nobles describing fine food before. He found it disturbing in this context. 

“The way you led her into that trap and then, BAM! Beautiful!” He had a massive grin on his face, “But then I would expect nothing less from one of the Blackstone legion!” 

Shit. 

The raider gestured at Markus' armor, “Why you even have the stones to still display their colors! Ha!” He planted the axe and rested his hands on the pommel, “Now I have a proposition for you Blackstone. Why don't you join us?” 

In the fire light Markus wasn't sure, but the other bandit's looked incredulous, angry even. They likewise had started to surround him. 

The raider held out his hand to him, “You'd earn far more coin than whatever your employer is paying you, and after all, - ” he gave a predatory grin, “What's a wolf without a pack?” 

Shit. This raider wasn't just a murderous lunatic, he was a former member of the legion! Or at least the vikings that had served the cause. It was almost tempting, but the consequences of the great war were still being felt now. He would be lucky to rebuild anything without throwing his lot in with bandits. “This wolf still has teeth. Surrender now, and I will encourage mercy at your trials.” 

The raider's smile turned to a grimace. “The wolf's turned into a sheep dog eh?” He gestured to the others, “You're surrounded and outnumbered. Don't throw your life away!” He looked at him earnestly, “Let us remind you of who you are.” 

By the gods, he really meant it. He wanted to “help” him. The others had him penned in. They were just waiting for his response. … he looked down and reached for his belt. “I can't go back to that life.” He looked up at the raider's face, “I won't be a murderer again.” 

The raider sighed. “Damn. I had hoped you weren't broken by the iron legion's leash.” He hefted his axe, “But sometimes you don't get what you want.” 

It was at that moment that Markus struck the fuse. In a shower of sparks, the signal flare arced past the raider's battle hardened face and into the sky. Two things happened then. First, the sky lit up blood red for miles around, and second, the raider's beard caught fire. The other three spiders were staring dumbfounded at their leader's screaming form. Markus wasn't sure what the raider had used to treat his hair, but whatever it was, it was clearly flammable. He rushed the gawking pair of conscripts and buried his blade into one's neck. The other let out a little yelp before Markus grabbed him and ran him through. Now for the - 

The conqueror crashed into Markus, sending him flying into a support beam He bounced off like a rubber ball and crashed into the floor. Ow. The conqueror's flail swung down and collided with his pauldron, denting it and sending a ringing pain up his arm. He rolled under the next swing and tried to stay on the conqueror's wounded side. There was a splash but Markus could pay it little mind as the conqueror started up another series of attacks. Markus deflected the first, dodged the second and ducked behind the beam for the third. 

The conqueror's mace head got stuck in the beam and Markus saw his eyes go wide. 

As he lunged in for the kill he found himself picked up and barreled into the wooden beam. It cracked under the assault but far worse still, Markus dropped his sword. Before he could recover his wits a knee struck him square in the side. An audible *snap* signaled that one or more of his ribs were likely cracked. He wheezed and rolled to the side on instinct. The blow meant to sever his leg instead made a deep laceration into his thigh. 

Dammit, that put a time limit on this fight. He needed to get his sword. 

Markus rolled out from the raider's follow up swing into a basket of gutted fish. That gave him an idea. 

The raider raised his axe for another strike. A fish struck him squarely in his face. He spluttered and swatted at the the offending creature. 

Markus swept up his blade and cut up across the raider's chest. Not enough force to go too deep but it caused him to stumble. 

A *thunk* announced that the conqueror had freed his flail. With a roar he launched himself at Markus. 

The head of the flail deformed the pauldron but Markus used the opportunity to bring the hilt of his sword down on the conqueror's split foot. 

He let out a roar of pain before it was cut short by Markus' sword rising up into his throat. The roar died into a gurgle as he fell from the blade. Now there was just one. 

They both stood facing each other. Wounded and panting. They were both running out of time. Burned, cut, and soaked, the raider had seen better days. Markus was in even worse shape though. His clothing soaked in both blood and swamp offal, his left pauldron was mangled scrap, and his leg was maimed. 

“Got much left wolf?” the raider huffed with a nasty grin. 

“Enough for you brute,” Markus replied icily. 

Before either could see who was bluffing the foliage across from where Markus had entered began to rustle. 

The raider looked up at the signal flare and then down at Markus. He let out a nasty sneer, “This isn't over wolf! If they don't kill you, I will!” With that he turned and sprinted deeper into the swamp. 

Markus slumped against the broken beam and caught his breath. At least the few villagers left were safe. The dawn empire might even be grateful if he were lucky. 

“Blackstone!!!” 

Shit. 

Or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have no explanation for this. My brother and I started playing For honor again on Christmas and I was reminded of the characterXcharacter things you see floating around. I felt inspired to write some light romance. My two main characters (of opposite genders, because I'm barely comfortable trying to write any romance, much less a homosexual one) are the warden and the nobushi. It's a popular ship for reasons that I am unaware of, but I decided to go with it. So here we are. The plot is set somewhere around the 3rd year, during a time of peace. The continuity is a bit hard to explain in the for honor universe. The constant warfare never made sense to me, so in my head/story there are inumerable skirmishes between the factions as petty warlords try to enforce demands and take power while the actual governments try to reign in the chaos. (except the warborn who likely think a bit of skirmishing is good for them) Basically it amounts to mostly the same thing while also being like the mandalorian a little bit.  
> I fully admit to not knowing enough latin or japanese to do a "real" job of the mistranslations etcetera that will occur later. I do have a friend that I asked a few basic questions regarding japanese of. Latin will basically be english as far as I'm willing to work it. *shrug* I wasn't sure on naming the warden Markus on account of the characters speaking latin originally (in the latest patches I'm pretty sure I've been hearing english), but with names like Holden and stone, I doubted that it actually matters.  
> Enough of me babbling! TLDR: I played for honor again and decided to try my hand at some light romance. Languages won't be accurate.  
> Also, the romance doesn't happen immediately. Got to let it percolate. We'll get there.  
> Additional side note: I haven't stopped working on the hunt, I just got struck by inspiration and a desire to write this. I don't have any real excuses for the delay beyond the depression everyone's been feeling and then the holidays. Plus I've had a migraine for the past 6 weeks which has been "delightful." Still working on it.  
> I hope you enjoyed the start to this story.


	2. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nobushi from the Dawn empire has discovered the massacred village and she is not happy with the already injured Markus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter.

Markus looked up at his … Rescuer? Sure, he'd go with that. To his surprise it was a solitary woman. She wore form fitting light colored clothes underneath a dyed, knee length leather coat. She wore very little armor save shoulder and knee guards. Wooden if he were to guess the material. She wore a smooth mask marked by the symbols of the dawn empire underneath a triangular straw hat. Almost as if someone had put a boat atop her head. Not that he'd ever say that out loud and expect to live. The symbols across her outfit were picked out in a darker color. Judging by these symbols she belonged to the Empress' Daimyo. The equipment told him that she was one of the hermit guardians known as nobushi. Neither of these facts bode well for him. 

She stood at the top of another ramp up to the village dramatically gesturing at him with her Japanese halberd. It might have been intimidating with the fire blooming around her to an inexperienced warrior. Markus was not an inexperienced warrior. He was however quite injured. 

“You kill them! You die now!” she shouted in thickly accented latin. 

Of course she wouldn't be reasonable. 

One of the few remaining villagers scrambled next to the nobushi and threw herself on her knees. She began to babble something but was cut off by a shouted command from the nobushi. She advanced on Markus who readied his blade. 

Delightful. It would seem that the warrior's blood was up. He was still on a time table too. He hadn't gotten the chance to bandage his leg yet and he was beginning to feel light headed. He had 2 minutes at most to finish this and wrap his leg up. … and cause an international incident. *Sigh* Why couldn't anything about this mission be easy? 

She entered a low ready stance and they began. She opened up with a series of quick jabs that Markus easily parried. She was careful to keep her distance and be mindful of her environment. A veteran as well it seemed. 

They continued like this for a few more beats and as Markus readied to shift the dynamic, so did she. After another jab she shifted the back of her polearm as a brace and did a jump kick, pushing his weight onto his bad leg. 

He fell in a heap and rolled to dodge the follow up. She had unfortunately seen this coming and her blade ripped apart the chains on his side and bit deeply. 

There was a gasp that wasn't his own and Markus realized that they had an audience of the 5 women he had rescued. 

“{Please stop!}” one cried. 

He shuddered. That was a phrase he recognized. Darkness was crowding on the edges of his vision. He needed to finish this. The nobushi turned to silence the women and Markus took the opportunity. He stabbed his blade into a nearby fish and hurled it straight at the nobushi's masked face. 

It all happened so fast, Markus didn't have time to realize his own mistake. As she recoiled from the unexpected assault he stood with his uninjured leg, and without thinking then took his weight onto his damaged one. It couldn't support his armored bulk and he collapsed onto his knees. 

Shit. 

Markus felt the blade of the polearm touch underneath his chin, raising his face to hers. So this was how it would end? In a misunderstanding? … It seemed fitting. 

He saw her eyes narrow to killing slits when one of the women threw herself at the nobushi's feet. “{Please spare him my lord! He saved what little you see that is left!}” 

Markus didn't get every word, but he got the intent. Before the judge cast him into the fires, he'd put in a good word for these women. He closed his eyes, ready for the end. 

Markus could not see it, but the nobushi looked at the battlefield once more and came to a conclusion. 

“{Shit.}” 

And with that eloquent statement out of the way she brought the back end of her naginata down on Markus' head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might come back and edit this as the nobushi's character is more fully developed in my mind. Probably not, but we'll see. I liked the parallel "shit"s that happened. Made me smile. I'm not sure the relationship between the hero classes and generic civilians in the fluff. Not enough for me to do much more than base it off of the relationship between samurai and their subjects in history. (roughly) Also in case you couldn't tell, Markus is a tad melodramatic. He might even brood. ... Shit, he's kind of like M'rut ... hmmm, I hope this doesn't mean I have a "type" for characters I write. We'll see as he develops.  
> Regardless, I'm kind of curious if there's actually a for honor community on here. Given that I had to make up almost all the tags I used, I kind of doubt it. I might be surprised though.  
> I had originally intended to end the first chapter here, but the ending from last time was just too perfect, so we get this very short chapter.  
> I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Tribulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi Kobayashi has decided to spare the Blackstone warden and begins to realize that this "honorable act" might be more complicated than she had anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to pre-emptively apologize for calling someone a weirdo in the chapter. It's a better fit for the character as she's developed in my head than the spaz that I had in the earlier version. I'm probably overthinking the warning one of my editors gave though. We're all adults here. We can be cool about stuff.  
> But onto the story! Say hello to our nobushi. She's fun.  
> Enjoy!

Dammit! What was she thinking!? Of all the stupid, reckless things she had done, this had to be at the top! He was from the blackstone legion! Standing in the middle of a burning village, surrounded by bodies! And now she had not only bound and treated his wounds, but she was taking him back to her camp! That's it, she was mad. Umi Kobayashi huffed and set the lead on the sled down. What truly made her a mad woman was her decision to drag the heavy bastard to camp instead of waiting for a patrol. She couldn't understand how the knights wore such heavy armor. And this idiot had done so through the hellish western swamps!

She slid down the root of one of the tamarack trees into a natural seat. A moments rest and then she would start again. The women from the village kneeled around the blackstone's body. Risa was going to kill her once she saw him. Umi took off her mask and rubbed her face. 

She could see the conversation play out now, “Hello Risa, I've just brought home one of the people who murdered the emperor! How was your patrol?” 

“What!? Umi, you idiot! You should have killed him while he was standing! Now I can't do it because honor says you can't kill sleeping men on Tuesdays! Blah, blah, blah!” 

Umi did not realize that she was doing this, but during her “conversation” she mimed the gestures the actors in her mind did to the bewilderment of the villagers. Out of respect to her station, they chose to “not notice”. 

*Sigh* What was she going to tell her? If she said the wrong thing then Risa WOULD execute him on the spot. She had lost her husband and her family in the attack. There were few who hadn't lost someone during the great raid, but she doubted that fact would save him. Umi put her head in her hands. 

An idea! Information! He could tell them why the knights had attacked them … and then each other ...Alright, the situation didn't make much sense, but he had to know something. The villagers had said that they had exchanged words before she had arrived. Now she would just have to get the information from him! … A man who very likely didn't speak Japanese … Urgh! These thoughts were getting her nowhere. 

Umi stood up and retrieved the ropes attached to the sled. “Time to get a move on!” she declared. The women obediently followed after her as she pulled the knight along. He had to weigh as much as three men! Ugh! She looked back. She supposed that it made sense, he was almost as big as two of them. What did they feed them to grow so large? 

The party crawled along the trail to her camp. They just – huff – had to – huff – get … up! The hill! She began to slide back down the muddy trail. No! She would not allow this! She would – Umi fell backwards into the mud and slid down with the sled, glaring dejectedly the whole way. 

Even with the sled he was simply too heavy! At this rate Risa would get back before them! Ugh, then she might have to fall back on the “Look what I found,” explanation. 

The villagers obediently watched Umi try twice more before the eldest dared to make a suggestion. “My lady, perhaps we could aide you in getting the knight up the hill?” she said. 

Umi was suddenly very grateful that she wore a mask. She could feel her face turn beet red, and not just from the exertion. Why hadn't she thought of that!? Stupid, Umi! Oh so stupid! “Y-yes! An excellent idea.” she stammered. She tried to sound authoritative but failed miserably. The village women pretended to be awed by her commanding presence and rushed to obey. None the wiser to their deception, Umi had three of them take one rope lead while the other two helped her end. It was slow going due to the steepness of the hill, but they were doing it! 

Some 20 minutes of pulling and tugging, they made it to her hermitage. Home sweet military camp! The women collectively huffed and puffed their way to the mossy benches she often liked to take cat naps on when she wasn't on patrol. She fell down on one such seat. Sleep sounded nice right about now … Umi sat bolt upright, startling a few of the villagers. Risa was arriving at sunrise! She looked at the warden. He was covered in mud from the trip and the blood from the battle. She'd change his bandages and then – she looked down at herself. She didn't look much better. Risa would be furious about the Blackstone, but would assume the worst from her appearance. Argh! Nothing was going right today! The knight hadn't even started the fight, but Risa would – Umi didn't realize it, but she was pacing and making frantic hand motions again. 

The same villager who had spoken before approached her now. “My lady, we can re-bind the knight's injuries while you make yourself more presentable.” 

Umi deflated. She was too used to doing things on her own. She wasn't quite sure what she would have done without these women today, everything had just been completely overwhelming, “Th- thank you. You've been - “ 

“My lady, I believe that you wanted to hurry,” said the villager, leveling a stern expression at her. 

“R-right, of course,” she replied with a sniffle, clamping down on her emotions. Umi didn't think to be offended by the commanding note to the woman's tone. Perhaps it was how much she reminded her of her own mother, or perhaps it was how little Umi stood on ceremony. Either way she went to the stream that ran behind her home and lit the lights. It was also where she left clothing on the line and the tree platform was. It connected to the roof of what she considered to be a rather spacious home. It easily fit herself and the three other occasional inhabitants. Senzo Tokuda was a shugoki guardian, and an ogre of a man. She wasn't sure, but she thought that he was taller than the warden she had found. He was certainly rounder, and often served as the cool headed voice of reason of the team. He usually came with Risa on her weekly patrol. Risa Izumi herself was an armored kensei, one of the sword saints. Professional military from birth and absolutely no fun! She mentally harrumphed. … Not since the great raid at least. Last and certainly not least, was her best friend, Riko Matsui. Riko was … well … a weirdo. But she was so much fun! She was usually scouting around the edges of the empire's territory much like Umi herself, so she would visit the most often. The biggest difference was that Riko was a shinobi, one of the black clad assassins that most often served the empire. 

By the time Umi had thought about all of this, she had removed her dirty clothes and washed them in the stream. She hung them on the line to dry, and as she started to clean herself, she thought about the day. It had started as just another patrol. She had checked on Yakanai village in the morning before heading along the river to what had been Toutari village. It would have been another hour of walking the border before she would have arrived. So why had the Blackstone sent up the signal flare? He had been trespassing himself. It certainly made it seem like he wasn't working with the attackers. … Then why was he there? Wearing those colors of all things!? Ugh, crazy foreigners. And where had the other westerners come from? And why had they attacked Toutari village? Hopefully the Blackstone could tell them when he woke up. 

Umi put on one of her other “uniforms.” Nobushi didn't actually have uniforms beyond the jacket and the mask … and only a fool would be caught in the baking sun without a amigasa hat. Okay, so it was kind of a uniform. She grabbed her naginata and put on her mask. Risa stood on formalities and she was supposed to wear it in the presence of enemies... So, should she take it off so that Risa knew the Blackstone wasn't one? She should probably wear it in case more westerners showed up though. She could just tell Risa that she had found him injured among the dead! Then she would have no reason to kill him! She mentally patted herself on the back. A perfect plan. 

She came around the corner and the first thing she saw was that the village women had lit the lanterns and basically stripped the warden naked. Umi's heart skipped a beat. She found herself staring at him. She had noticed how broad his shoulders were before, but without the armor it had a rather different effect. He was very muscular … and very hairy! She had never seen so much hair on a man's body before! It was all curly too! She winced as she looked over the freshly bandaged cut she had inflicted. Her gaze traveled down his body. He was so hairy! She suppressed a giggle. Riko was going to be so jealous that she got to see – it was then that Umi noticed the knowing looks the village women had been giving her. 

“Eep!” Umi was very glad that she had chosen to wear her mask as she felt her cheeks blush. Time for a cover up. “I was just, er, examining your work.” Perfect. 

The eldest women gave her a short bow, “And is our work up to your standards, my lady?” 

Good, they bought it. Umi made a show of more closely examining the knight. “Yes, I think these will do nicely.” 

“I am glad that they meet your satisfaction.” she said with another bow. 

Umi was pretty sure that she heard some sass from her but decided to ignore it. She didn't need them telling Risa about this. Best to pretend it never happened. “Right! Now you ladies have more than earned some rest!” She gestured towards the building, “Feel free to use the stream behind the house and sleep on one of the mats inside. I think there are some spare kimonos in the closets as well.” She never really got a chance to wear them, so at least they'd see some use now. 

The women thanked her and left into the house. Now, Risa would be there in a few hours. That gave her plenty of time to find one of Senzo's shirts and maybe fix the holes in the warrior's clothes. She often repaired her own equipment, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. She left to go scrounge through Senzo's room for a shirt that might work. At first she thought to find one that would fit best, but as she looked through the closet she realized how hopeless that was. She huffed and just swiped one at random. On her way out she picked up her sewing kit. 

The warden was just as unconscious as when she had left. Good. The last thing she needed was explaining how she had let an invader escape. Even a seemingly well intentioned one. Umi sat down next to the Blackstone. “Why did you come here?” she thought. And why did you try to save the village? Did you come seeking atonement? Death? She stared at his face as though he might reveal the answers to her. … His brow was heavier than most of the men she had seen. There was a certain angularness to his features. They didn't look bad … just different. The only other westerners she had seen were warborn raiders and she had never really had a chance to examine them. His hair was a golden brown and looked like the waves of the sea. He also had a trimmed beard and a series of scars across, well, his entire body. … Er, she should probably get him dressed. 

The shirt didn't really fit him, but she supposed that being baggy was better than the other options. The shoulders fit at least. If it proved necessary, she could re-sow the sides. She rather hoped it didn't come to that. She still felt guilty for stabbing him after he saved what was left of the village. She wasn't sure when or why, but she had decided that this man would not die while she could help it. She could also fix some of the damage she had done now. She pulled a scrap of similar colored fabric and began to get to work. 

It was a few hours to get the pants and vest sewn back together reasonably well. Her eyes were heavy, but Risa should be there soon. Umi blearily dragged the pants back onto the warden. The vest had armored inlays, so she decided it was best to put it with the rest of his armor. It had been left neatly folded underneath the lip of the roof off the ground. Umi shuddered as she looked at the symbol of the Blackstone legion blatantly painted on the visor of his helmet. With a sword through a half skull, half helmet, how could these people see themselves as anything other than villains? All the evil characters in the plays she watched had skulls in their symbols, it only made sense! She picked up the helmet. So why did such an obvious bad guy save the villagers? Hmm … She put the helmet down on top of the vest and turned back to see Risa's patrol coming from the other side of the hill. 

Risa's patrol consisted of herself, Senzo, and six ashigaru, not real samurai but members of the country's army none the less. Senzo wasn't visible among them. Perhaps he was lagging behind? The ashigaru tended to stay away from her so she hadn't gotten their names. That meant it was either Risa or her father who had encouraged this behavior. They in fact went out of their way to avoid her, so she suspected her father of pressuring Risa. *Sigh* Politics stink. While she had been musing, the patrol had stopped. They were staring at … the Blackstone's equipment. … Which of course, the symbol was facing them. Stupid, Umi! 

“That's a Blackstone.” It wasn't a question. Risa's voice was cold as she drew her blade. 

Umi was suddenly no longer tired. She rushed for her naginata as Risa raised her nodachi. The enormous katana would cut him in half! There was no time for words as the blade fell. 

Umi picked up the polearm and lunged. 

The naginata's guard caught the blade a mere handful of centimeters from his chest, shoving it away, into the ground. 

Risa growled and raised her weapon into a ready stance. The ashigaru joined her. 

“Risa! Stop, please!” Umi begged. She kept her guard low to better shield the warden. 

They began to circle each other. “The Blackstone must die Umi. You know this,” Risa let no emotion into her voice. The perfect example of a sword saint some would say. 

“But where is the honor in this!?” Risa was obsessed with honor! There was no way she would do this when she was reminded! 

Risa leveled a hate filled glare at her, “Ask the tens of thousands dead in the great war what their honor is worth.” She leaned in, “Their silence is your answer.” 

Umi's blood ran cold. This wasn't happening. This had to be a dream! Any second now … Risa's real patrol would … Was she really going to sacrifice this man's life and her honor? Or would she have to fight one of her few friends that she didn't think was directly controlled by her father? After the horrible day today, everything they had been through together, Umi began to tear up. “Risa, Please … Don't make me do this.” Her guard did not waver for an instant. 

Risa shook her armored head with a smile, “Stubborn as always.” She raised he nodachi above her head for a powerful strike. 

Umi blinked the tears from her eyes and prepared to push the blow to the ground again. 

As the nodachi reached it's zenith Senzo came barreling out of the bushes and swept Risa up in a big bear hug. Her nodachi clattered to the ground. 

“Let go of me you big brute!” Risa commanded. The ashigaru turned their weapons towards Senzo. 

“Why don't you tell us what happened, Umi?” Senzo suggested mildly in his deep baritone voice. 

Umi was so relieved that she nearly collapsed. Instead she lowered her weapon and started her tale. She always liked telling a good story, “There I was, patrolling the western border when I saw a signal flare from Toutari village! Knowing that there was no time to waste I ran to help them. But when I arrived, I found bodies everywhere! Fire had begun to – “ 

“Umi, get to the point,” Risa interupted from Senzo's arms. She seemed to have settled down. The ashigaru had Senzo surrounded at this point. 

Umi huffed. Spoilsport. “Most of the village was slaughtered and burning! Among the carnage was this man, surrounded by western warriors! The villagers told me of how he came and rescued them from the invaders! … Well, other invaders” 

“You've got to be kidding me.” Huffed Risa. She looked up at the ox holding her, “Senzo, let me down, I swear not to hurt anyone here.” 

“Were you really going to kill Umi over this?” he asked. 

“Kill her?” Umi knew how to fight! Very well in fact. How dare he - 

Risa looked at the big man like he had suddenly acquired a new head, “Of course not.” She gave an indignant huff, “She is like a sister, and I am a sword saint. As though I couldn't defeat her without causing injury.” She sounded offended. The ashigaru seemed to have relaxed. 

Two different emotions warred within Umi. On the one hand she was touched to have been called Risa's sister again after so long. On the other, she was furious! She was dangerous! She took down that Blackstone warden after all. … That he had been bleeding to death didn't matter. It still counted. 

Seemingly satisfied with Risa's answer, Senzo put her down. The ashigaru sheathed their weapons and stationed themselves around the warden. 

“And where are these villagers?” Risa asked, looking around . 

“Currently sleeping inside. It has been a harrowing day for them.” replied Umi solemnly. 

“So you decided to heal one of our sworn enemies because he was wounded in one of our burning villages?” Risa asked sarcastically. 

“No! I found him among the bodies of our enemies!” Umi said indignantly. 

“And his broad chest had nothing to do with it?” Risa looked at her smugly. 

Umi fumed. Argh! She's been here for five minutes and she had not only insulted her but – 

“Why is he wearing one of my spare shirts?” Senzo said, interrupting their budding squabble. 

“Oh, er … His vest was armored, so I needed something else to cover him with,” replied Umi. 

Senzo grunted his assent and squatted down next to the warden. 

Umi felt a reflexive desire to shoo him away but suppressed it. Senzo wouldn't hurt him. ... Probably. 

He began to examine the injuries on the warrior, shifting cloth when it was in the way. 

Umi didn't get distracted by the display at all. A silly thought! Ridiculous! 

He started at the head and moved down to the shoulder, “A blunt weapon, so a conqueror or another shugoki.” 

“That's a raider's dane axe,” Said Risa, pointing at the now revealed leg injury. 

“A broken rib or two if I'm not mistaken.” He ran his rough hand across the torso injuries before suddenly stopping. He looked up at the rest of them, “This is too thin to be a western blade … “ Senzo's eyes widened, “A naginata wound! They had a nobushi too! We'll need to alert the other perimeter bases that – “ 

Shit! Her lie had been discovered! Umi had to correct this error. “I, er … Might have attacked him … When … Ithoughthehaddestroyedthevillage!” she blurted out the last in one big rush. 

“My Umi translator isn't working. Could you repeat that?” asked Senzo with some amusement. 

“Right, of course.” She took a deep breath and centered herself. “He wasn't unconscious when I found him. I saw his legion symbols amid the flames and attacked him without thought.” 

Risa snorted. “First intelligent thing you've done in connection to that murderer so far.” She continued to watch him as she spoke. 

Senzo turned to look at her, to which she held her hands up in mock surrender. He gestured for Umi to continue. 

“I attacked him and as I was to slay him the villagers told me of what had happened.” Umi relayed the tale to the best of her abilities. She tried to leave out her flair for the dramatic, but it still slipped in occasionally. It took some minutes to re-tell, so they rested on the moss covered benches. Risa perked up somewhat when she got to the battle. 

“So we don't know why he or the other invaders are here? Hmmm …” Senzo stroked his long beard that poked out from underneath his oni mask. 

“And our only witness is a man who won't be able to speak japanese,” Risa sighed. 

“I can speak some latin!” Umi volunteered. 

Risa grasped the bridge of her nose, “So can Riko, that doesn't mean I want her interrogating him.” 

“Perhaps, I help?” 

They whirled to look at the speaker. To all of their surprise it was the Blackstone warden. 

Huh. Well that was an interesting development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, time to introduce our little nobushi, Umi Kobayashi. She's absolutely adorkable (in my opinion) and easily distracted. I adore her. I want to write more family interactions between the squad, but they have business to settle first. This was fun to write. Character interactions are my favorite, followed by world building. We also got more background on the conflict between the dawn empire and the knights. For clarification's sake I will reiterate two important points. 1 - The iron legion and the blackstone legion are two separate organizations. 2 - It was the blackstone legion that killed the emperor. The boys and girls in black (and orange) got around. I realize that most people who will find this are familiar with the world, but I'm writing it so those who don't can come along for the ride. If you know the classes, then it will help with visualizations. Otherwise, I got you.  
> (Odd company 6 is still coming. I plan to finish writing it by Thursday and get it edited for Friday or Saturday. Probably Saturday.)
> 
> I was more than a little afraid to write from a woman's perspective, mostly because of the eventual love interest angle. I didn't want to be sexist, but I reminded myself that men and women are more similar than we give them credit for. The parallels are many, so I started to approach it as myself and then I put on my "Umi mask" to translate it into her actions. (I treat my characters more as roles I'm acting in to figure out what happens. I feel that it makes for a typically more natural read. Everyone feels like themselves. Unless I break character...) I did have to be reminded that despite her hermit status, she is a soldier. Even if it's not in the more professional sense. Overall I'm rather happy with the chapter. A good introduction to our samurai protagonists(?). Most of them at least.  
> Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are staying safe out there.


	4. Crossed Signals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus wakes up to find himself surrounded by Dawn Empire forces. Injured and dazed, he is forced to call upon one of his least reliable weapons. His knowledge of Japanese.

Markus was awoken by the clamor of metal on metal. That was not usually a sound associated with paradise. So he had been sent to Hell. … He didn't think that Hell was supposed to be this damp. 

“{Risa! Stop, please!}” said a woman's voice. 

“{The Blackstone must die Umi. You know this,}” said a deeper woman's voice. 

He was also fairly certain that there weren't supposed to be women arguing … in Japanese. This was probably not Hell then, or at least not his. 

“{But where is the honor in this!?}” cried the higher pitched voice. She sounded desperate. He just had to focus on the words. 

“{Ask the tens of thousands dead in the great war what their honor is worth … Their silence is your answer.}” The gruffer woman sounded deadly serious. What did she say? Death, honor, … something about silence?” He was pretty sure the other woman was in danger. He needed to help, He … couldn't move. 

Shit. 

“{Risa, please … Don't make me do this.}” She was on the brink of tears. Dammit. And he was stuck here like log. He focused on the words. The gruff woman was likely Risa, so they knew each other, and the other didn't want to do something. Presumably fight. A crunch to his right told him that there were more than just the two women. Had the bandits returned? That wasn't good. 

“{Stubborn as always.}” said the gruff woman. She sounded pleased by something. Something permanent. Hmm … It was then that Markus heard heavy footfalls. Someone big was heading their way. 

Feet were shifting, something was happening. A scuffle right over him and he heard … quite a few feet. He rather hoped little miss dawn empire would get the civilians out safely during the fuss. 

“{Let go of me you big brute!}” shouted the one called Risa. A command, releasing and big. So a big guy grabbed her? 

“{Why don't you tell us what happened, Umi?}” came a deep, almost thunder like voice. The big guy presumably. He sounded as big as the armored giants of the lawbringer order. He was also speaking Japanese, The other woman's name was Umi? He wanted her to tell him something. Damn, he wished his head didn't throb so much. His language skills being rusty didn't help either. 

The higher pitched woman, Umi, began a story about what he realized were the day's events, which meant she was the nobushi that had attacked him. She was speaking too quickly for him to follow along, so Markus focused on regaining some movement. … And settling his aching head. The Risa woman interrupted once, but the voices sounded more at ease. 

He got one of his hands to clench, so that was good. Perhaps the drugs were wearing off. A word broke him from his concentration. 

“{Kill}” 

Shit. What had he missed? 

The one called Risa sounded insulted, “{Of course not. *huff* She is like a sister, and I am a sword saint. As though I couldn't defeat her without causing injury.}” It seemed that Risa was a kensei, a master swordswoman of the samurai. Most were commanders and obsessively trained with their nodachi great swords. And Umi was her sister … and she was talking about defeating her. Was the metal on metal a sibling squabble? Just what he needed. At least the throbbing had settled into the background of his mind. 

He suspected Risa to be the elder sister by her demeanor. She at least seemed to have more authority. Perhaps he should gather some more intelligence while they thought he was out. The tone shifted to that of banter. He believed they were discussing him. Sleeping, healing, enemies? That wasn't good. … a chest? His chest? … he was going to ignore that one. The man's voice interrupted his discomfort. 

“{Why is he wearing one of my spare shirts?}” 

Markus realized that he wasn't wearing his uniform. It was a thin material and felt loose. There were multiple crunches next to him as he heard them surround him while the younger sister spoke. 

“{Oh, er … His vest was armored so I needed something else to cover him with.” 

So they had taken his armor. Not good, but not surprising. He felt rough hands begin to gently touch him. Every instinct demanded that he attack, but he needed to wait it out. 

“{A blunt weapon, so a conqueror or another shugoki,}” the male boomed. 

So he was a shugoki? If he thought his odds of beating them were low before, now there was just no way. The “guardian daemons” were trained in sumo as well as the use of their kanabo war clubs. They might as well wield small logs for the size of the things. All in all, the training tended to make enormous brutes who shrugged off hits with sheer willpower alone. Not. Good. 

The giant was prodding all of his injuries, making comments on them. The kensei, Risa even joined in too. When they got to the injury from the nobushi the big fellow let out an exclamation. Had she not told them? Would sparing his life be a dishonor? He didn't think so, but he was a Blackstone. 

“{I, er … Might have attacked him … when … Ithoughthehaddestroyedthevillage!” She sounded nervous, embarrassed even, and then the floodgates broke. 

“{My Umi translator isn't working. Could you repeat that?}” came the big man's voice again. At least Markus wasn't the only one who lost the last part of the sentence. She had admitted to attacking him though. He had an idea on what their reactions to that might be. 

“{Right, of course,}” she blew out a breath. “{He wasn't unconscious when I found him. I saw his legion symbols amid the flames and attacked him without thought.}” He worked his way through the sentence … he wasn't asleep, the legion symbols, and mindless attack? Huh. She sounded ashamed. Interesting. 

The one called Risa snorted and said, “{First intelligent thing you've done in connection to that murderer so far.” Well … that certainly ruled her out as an ally. She had called him a murderer. She wasn't wrong, but he still would likely need their help. 

There was a brief pause before the nobushi continued. “{I attacked him and as I was to slay him the villagers told me of what had happened.}” Their voices got further away as she continued her tale. She was describing his battle with the bandits if he wasn't mistaken. He was already aware of the events therein and focused on his body. Blood loss and broken ribs. He'd had worse, but it would be weeks before he'd be at 100 percent. For now he settled on being able to wiggle his fingers. His eyes slowly opened as his fight with the conqueror was described. Everything felt sluggish. He blinked several more times. 

“{So we don't know why he or the other invaders are here? Hmmm … }” said the big man. 

“{And our only witness is a man who won't be able to speak Japanese,” the woman called Risa sighed. 

“{I can speak some latin}” volunteered the younger Umi. He could feel her enthusiasm from here. 

“{So can Riko, that doesn't mean I want her interrogating him.}” Risa said. 

Who was Riko? Another member of their team? He mentally sighed. Hiding his consciousness wouldn't work for much longer. Markus sat up on his elbows and realized that he was surrounded by warriors. “Best foot forwards Markus,” he thought. 

“{Perhaps I help?}” he said. Given how they looked at him, Markus was no longer certain that he had spoken correctly. They looked at him as though he had sprouted another head that had gibbered cooking recipes. 

“{You can speak?!}” asked the startled kensei. They collectively began to approach him. 

“{Some}” Markus replied. He was completely surrounded now. *gulp* He hoped they were in an understanding mood. 

“{What happened?}” asked the shugoki. Markus wasn't sure what his name was. Before he could respond, Risa added, “{Why did you trespass on our lands?}” 

“{I found evil men into the swamp. They hurt the village, I killed them.}” By the guardians of the gate, he was definitely wishing that he had practiced before he came. One wrong word could get him killed according to the look on Risa's face. 

Her face was made of hard lines and scars from obviously hard living. She wasn't wearing the daemon half face masks common among the Dawn empire's forces. Not all wore them though. Certain specialists, like the nobushi wouldn't wear the faces of daemons. She wore the lacquered wood common to the samurai in a breast plate and the curious rectangular plates on her shoulders and thighs. They clearly could mold the wood, after all, her arms and chest both had more form fitting panels. He had always wondered why bother with the flat shapes then? Perhaps it was just cheaper? His thoughts were interrupted by the shugoki. 

The big man looked at Risa and said, “{I think he means, he was chasing them.}” He turned back to Markus, “{Why were you chasing them?}” 

{“And why were they evil?}” added the nobushi, Umi. 

Risa face palmed, “{Of course they're evil, they slaughtered a village!}” 

The nobushi sounded frustrated, “{I mean why does he think they're evil.}” 

They all looked at him. 

Let's see, 'Why he did something and why the bandits were evil.' “{They killed our villages, I kill them.}” He really needed to expand his vocabulary. 

“{Are there more of you?}” demanded the Kensei. 

He rather doubted that the iron legion would send anyone after him. In the swamps the red spider was the Dawn empire's problem. The only other person he had left was Jaan, who he had left to protect the villagers. With reasonable confidence he said, “{No.}”Markus hung his head. He was truly a lone wolf. Without a pack. … Shit. His medallion was missing! 

Risa gave an irritated growl, “{Don't lie to me!}” She grabbed his shirt collar, “{They would never send you out here alone! It would be suicide.}” 

The shugoki put a hand on the kensei's shoulder and slowly moved her away from Markus. “{How many evil men are there?}” he asked. 

Risa continued to glare as her sister looked anxious. 

Markus cleared his throat … and completely forgot how to say larger numbers in Japanese. Shit. He had never learned to write in the language either. That left Latin. Welp, it was all he could do. He crouched down and drew his finger through the mud. “CCL” 

They all looked at it uncomprehendingly. 

Shit. 

The elder warriors looked up at him. 

Markus shrugged. 

“{Oh! Those are latin numbers.}” cried the young nobushi. 

“{Well, what do they say?}” asked an exasperated Risa. 

All their attention was on her. “{uh … C's are one hundred … and there are two of them...}” she scratched her chin in thought. 

Markus internally sighed. Of course she wasn't familiar with the numerals, that would have been convenient. He then realized the irony of lamenting her lack of Latin. 'Do unto others Markus,' he chastised himself. 

“{I don't care if they're hundreds or tens. We don't have the men to stop them,}” Risa declared. She looked over to the shugoki, “{We need to warn Vintus. With luck he'll come down personally and interrogate him.}” 

That didn't sound good. Not having men and interrogations? He wasn't exactly in a position to flee with his leg though. “{Am I prisoner?}” Might as well get that out of the way. 

The two elders looked at each-other as Umi, the nobushi, said, “{Of course not. You are injured and need to heal before you can help us.}” 

She sounded sincere. He doubted that the hermit guardian was in charge of this operation however. 

As if on queue, “{Umi, can I have a word with you over here?}” Risa said with strained politeness. 

As they began a quiet argument Markus stood beside the shugoki, “{Do they always fight like this?}” 

The big man chuckled, “{Not quite, but more so in the last few years.}” 

Markus sighed, “{Sisters do that. Fall in and out of liking with each-other.}” 

The shugoki looked down at him, “{They are not blood relatives.}” He looked back at the squabbling pair, “{They were raised together, but they're not related.}” 

“{Hmm. … I never got your name.}” 

“{My name is Senzo. The taller one is Risa and the shorter is Umi.}” 

“{I am Markus.}” Well, there were the official introductions out of the way. The question was, 'now what?' 

A few moments passed before Senzo broke the relative silence. “{Why did you come in those colors?}” he didn't stop looking at the women. 

Markus sensed that his response would matter. He had to be careful how he answered … with his limited vocabulary. Great. “{I am a Blackstone. If we live with honor, it must be seen.}” 

Senzo nodded slowly. “{You seek redemption.}” 

Markus didn't know what he had said and decided to remain silent. 

Suddenly the shugoki loomed over him. “{That might be noble, but if you betray us – }” Senzo leaned down menacingly, “{ - Not even the Iron legion will stop me from hunting you down.}” 

It was an intimidating display. When he was younger, it would've probably worked. Now, Markus had seen too much to be intimidated so easily. He looked him square in the eye and asked, “{May I have my …}” Dammit. What was necklace? He mentally shrugged and mimed a chain around his neck. 

Senzo seemed mildly annoyed about his failure to intimidate him, but he nodded and walked over to Markus' equipment. 

The pair seemed to have finished their 'discussion' and returned just before Senzo. “{Here you are,}” he said as he dropped it into Markus' hands. It was a small pendant in the shape of a wolf's head and emblazoned with the symbol of the legion. It was made of a crimson, almost glass like substance that seemed to glow ever so slightly. 

“{What is that?}” asked Umi in an almost awed tone of voice. 

Markus slipped it on over his head before responding, “{It is a mark of honor from Blackstone legion.}” 

“{I've never seen that material before …}” Risa said. 

Markus rubbed the pendant between his fingers, lost in memories from when he had earned it. “Nor would you,” he murmured. He then remembered his audience and switched back to Japanese, “{It is only at the Blackstone home.}” 

“{What does it mean?}” asked Senzo from behind him. 

Markus didn't bother translating. It's meaning would be lost on them anyways. He stared at it as his past swept up to greet him, “It means I was one of the honor guard to the 18 lords of the legion. Responsible for their safety.” He closed his hand around the medallion, “A wolf.” 

He looked up to see them looking at him uncomprehendingly. 

They turned to look at Umi who shrugged. He had almost forgotten that she had spoken some Latin back at the village. 

“{I was honor guard,}” he translated. It was really all they needed to know. 

“{To Apollyon?}” growled Risa. 

“{No, to Asmodai.}” 

Risa was glaring at him again. “{Senzo, we need to discuss something.}” It didn't sound like a request. 

He nodded and they walked inside the house, leaving Markus and Umi alone. 

Markus was not good at these sorts of things. He cleared his throat and started, “{I must thank you. First for … }” Damn, he needed to improve his vocabulary. “Sparing me,” he continued. “{At the village and then from Risa.}” 

“{You were awake for that?}” she squeaked. 

Markus almost let out a snort. That was adorable. He could hear the blush in her voice. “{Yes, I owe you for it,}” he replied, a slight smirk escaping. 

She straightened, clearly trying to recover her dignity. “{In repayment, you will teach me Latin and I will teach you Japanese,}” she declared. Her earlier shyness had evaporated like the morning's fog. 

Markus shook his head with a smile. Where did they find her? “{That still has me owe you twice.}” 

She paused before facepalming. “{I, er … was merely saying that it would … help communication. … Between us.}” She nodded at the end of the rambling statement. 

“{Yes, that helps us,}” No reason to prolong her suffering. 

“{Your first lesson starts now. It should have been 'Yes, that would help' instead.}” 

“{Yes, that would help. … Alright}” 

She circled him and rubbed her chin, “{You seem to mostly know how to structure sentences, but your word choice seems limited.}” She put one hand on her hip and pointed the finger of the other to the sky. “{We shall work on your vocabulary,}” she declared. 

Markus didn't understand what she was suggesting and responded as best he could, “{I know what?}” 

“{Exactly!}” She ignored his question and began to pace. “{I'll need to get some rice paper, and Risa always has a spare ink pot in her room, but where do I start?}” she mumbled to herself. 

Markus didn't like where this was going. He needed to reign her back in. “{What Latin do you know?}” 

She seemed to remember that he was there. “{Oh! I, uh, know some basic- Er, simple phrases and the present tense.}” 

Simple, presumably sentences, and the present … that had to be tense, right? Teaching her with a language barrier? This was going to be rough. No! He needed to focus on his mission … although he wasn't going anywhere like this. 

Umi misunderstood his silence and hurriedly said, “{Riko has been teaching me when she's here. Don't worry, I'm a fast learner, you'll see!}” 

Markus was broken from his thoughts by the sudden interjection. His mind was playing catch up already. “{Language problem, yes?}” he said, trying to stop the sudden burst of emotion. Rough work indeed. 

“{Oh, r-right. Sorry I – }” she started to apologize when the others returned. 

Risa pointed a scroll case at a pair of the ashigaru and shouted, “{'Yosai, Juro! Take this report to commander Vintus. We'll need reinforcements.}” 

The men scrambled from their, pretending to not listen in on the previous conversation, and took the proffered scroll. 

“{Umi, go and find Riko. We'll need her to help find these bandits.}” 

“{Yes shogun!}” she gave a mock salute and ran into the forest. 

Risa sighed and then brought a hard stare at Markus. “{Now you will tell me more about these 'evil men'.}” 

Markus shrugged. “{They are,} the red spider gang. {They kill mine and yours. Not knowing other.}” This language barrier was going to be the death of him. 

Risa growled in frustration, “{Why can't he speak Japanese properly?}” 

It was rhetorical of course, but Markus wasn't feeling charitable. “Because your ability to speak Latin is too good,” he deadpanned at her. 

Risa gave him a hard look but Senzo interrupted her, “{Where did they come from?}” 

“{To the northwest. They killed our people to you.}” 

“{Could they be vikings?}” asked Risa, dropping her hostile attitude. 

“{No. They left steel. Not a raid.}” It had actually been rather baffling to the iron legion commanders as well. Three mining towns razed with none of the iron ore taken. The attacks didn't seem to be random either. They had bypassed military patrols and a farming hamlet on their way here. This was the first time they had managed to catch them at all. Hopefully the bodies might hold some clues. 

“{Could it just be mindless violence?}” asked Senzo. 

“{Where did they attack your people?}” Risa asked. She seemed much more pleasant with a problem she could solve before her. 

“{All were ...}” crap, they didn't speak Latin at all. Markus mimed using a pickaxe and then said, “{Steel.}” 

They looked at each-other. “{Mining towns?}” Senzo began. 

“{But why not take the ore?}” Risa finished 

“{This place - }” he did the motion again. 

“{No, which makes this all the more confusing.}” Risa answered. She crossed her arms and began to tap her foot. 

Damn. Well, there went that theory … Unless … “{You have … land paper?}” He hoped they got his meaning. 

Risa blinked. “{Yes, why?}” Realization dawned on her face. She turned to Senzo. 

“{I'll go get the key,}” he said and strode into the forest away from the slope. 

“{You can''t be allowed to see our maps of the swamp,}” Risa said. She almost sounded sorry to do it. Huh, she had some emotions besides hatred of him. Good. 

“{I want to help,}” he poured all of his desire to stop these brigands into his words. There had to be something he could do. He also hated standing around. 

Risa sighed. She looked into the forest and then back at him. He wasn't sure what, but she came to a decision. “{Stay here,}” she commanded and marched into the building. 

Markus shrugged and took the opportunity to examine his surroundings for the first time since he had woken. They seemed to be at the top of a steep hill. A thick forest dominated the hilltop while shrubs and bamboo clung grimly to the slope. The top had some kind of shrine to whatever gods the samurai worshiped. A ring of mossy stone benches surrounded the altar and he could see a bundle of incense sticks waiting to be used. Behind the shrine lay the structure Risa had walked into. It appeared to be made of stone rather than the wooden structures of the village, but they shared many other design similarities. The only visible door was made of a heavy timber and had a knocker in the shape of the imperial house's symbol. Two fish eternally chasing each-other. 

Markus turned from his examination and found the remaining ashigaru glaring at him. Several were starting to approach, hands on weapons. With no officers to stop them? Wonderful. 

Before it could escalate any further, Senzo returned from the forest. 

The ashigaru's demeanor immediately mellowed back into hostile looks. 

“{Where's Risa?}” asked Senzo. 

Markus gestured to the building. 

Senzo looked at the ashigaru, who immediately decided that it would be a good time to check the perimeter. “{Follow me,}” he said and walked into the building. 

The inside wasn't quite what he had expected. The floor was wooden panels with the more traditional rice paper walls. Sconces held unlit candles along the frame of the building. It was still reasonably bright as the sun had begun rising for the last hour. When he took his first steps in he was startled to find the floors were warm. “{Hot,}” he told Senzo, pointing down. 

“{Ah, the floors are heated.}” he gestured broadly at the house. “{This was a place of healing during the great war. Now it's one of the better safe-houses for our patrols.}” He started back down the hallway, “{Come on, let's find Risa}” 

Markus didn't know how this place was connected with the great war, but heated floors was a nice touch. It seemed extravagant for a patrol house though. It did bring up the question of who had lit the fires and why. 

Both were answered as they entered a chamber and the women from the village were all resting upon mats on the floor. Markus was somewhat relieved that they had survived their ordeal. The pair of them quietly crept through the room until Senzo motioned for him to stay put. He entered the adjoining room and left Markus alone with the sleeping women. He was somewhat surprised by the gesture of trust. Admittedly he was unarmed, but these were their charges and he knew what his order – what he had done. 

His dark thoughts were interrupted as Senzo leaned out and gestured for him to follow. In the room was Risa and a map covered by thick blue and white cloth on top of an engraved table. Some sort of kitchen if he had to guess by the stoves. There were over a dozen. Enough of them to feed a host. 

“{You're supposed to be gawking at the map, not the stoves,}” Risa said with feigned indignation. 

Senzo shook his head, “{I said this place was used during the great war.}” His tone spoke of amusement. 

Markus was being mocked. It told him something of their personalities at least. He shrugged it off and approached the map. Magnets held down the edges of the kimono that was covering the sections of it. Only the north western part of the Myre was visible … along with the Iron legion's adjoining border. In rather startling detail. It shouldn't have surprised him that they had spies. Most of the major nations did with the number of mercenaries running around. 

“{So, where did these} 'spiders' {strike first?}” Risa said gesturing at the Iron legion's border. And with that they got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we got to have Markus introduce himself to the Japanese patrol team. It honestly went much better than Markus had expected. Less fun interactions, but I'm happy enough with it. Risa seems to have calmed down a bit by the end. Are y'all enjoying it so far? I'd like some feedback. I know I'm not good at responding, but I'd like to know what went well and not. (I appreciate your readership even if you don't) Anyways ...
> 
> It was rather hard to get the almost right sentences consistently. Markus knows a fair bit of Japanese, but isn't fluent. I used my experiences with people who hadn't quite mastered conversational English as my guide. Also his mastery somewhat fluctuates, but I'll blame it on how stressed he is/isn't at the time. I've also decided to generally avoid typing the honorifics that my research says should be attached to names almost every time. Except when the character is emphasizing it. It's already enough work putting brackets on most of the spoken sentences. I know, it makes me lazy. *shrug* (CrazyRabidSquirrel edited this chapter with me, as usual) Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Stay safe out there and keep being awesome!


	5. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi finds Riko and receives new orders when she returns to camp.

Umi slid down the hill at a speed she was sure that both Senzo and Risa would call reckless. They HAD said to find Riko, and this was so much faster. At the base she stepped off the muddy longboard that she and Riko had created. She hid it in a hollowed out tree and set off for the village. 

The others were too inflexible in their thinking. She and Riko were mad geniuses! Not bound by their doctrines and rules, they could come up with new solutions to old problems. … Like how to find the bastards who had burned down Toutari village. 

Her mood instantly darkened. She had known those people for the last 3 years. Well, perhaps “known” was too strong, but they had been good people! Ernest, caring, and loyal. They had accepted her, let her stay with them, oddities and all. Then these brigands had killed them. Her spirit called for their blood. Was this how Risa felt all the time? She paused her run as she considered this. 

“That would explain why she was so … angry all the time. Did she consider all of the knights responsible? Or is it just the Blackstone legion?” Umi didn't think she could live like this for years on end, especially if the bandits were still alive. 

“Oh! He would be the key to helping Risa. … But I wouldn't be able to heal with one of the bandits in arms reach.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Solving emotional stuff is hard,” she concluded. 

Umi felt something brush against her hair. She started to turn when she felt a razor edged blade resting gently against her throat. “You are making a lot of noise Umi-chan,” came a menacing and slightly hoarse voice. 

“Riko-chan!” Umi gasped. 

“Shhh. I don't know how many more invaders there are Umi.” 

“Um, several hundred … I think.” She found herself spun around to face Riko. 

“How do you know this?” she said grabbing her shoulders. 

“There was a knight hunting them. I … might have attacked him by mistake.” Umi was still embarrassed by that. 

“The knights were 'hunting' them? Umi, I found iron legion insignias on their bodies. They even had a flag!” 

“That can't be! The villagers said he fought to defend them!” 

“There are survivors?!” Riko shook her, “They butchered the signal post by their lands Umi. It has to be them.” 

“So that's where he got the signal flare ...” Umi muttered to herself. 

Riko shook her again to get her attention back, “You mean that you didn't launch the flare? 

“No. The elder said how they were rescued by him. He launched the flare that summoned me.” 

Riko took a step back, “So he defended the villagers, killed seven attackers, and launched a signal flare?” She put her hands on her hips, “Where is this hero now? Did he survive the mighty Umi's wrath?” There was an undercurrent of mockery, Riko always loved to tease her. 

Umi made a show of preening at the 'compliment', “The mighty Umi recognized his gallantry and deigned to spare him.” 

Riko bowed low, “Oh, how magnanimous of you,” she said in a faux-courtly voice. 

Done with the game, Umi continued in a normal voice, “He and the survivors are at the temple.” 

They began walking back together as Riko spoke, “I haven't found any tracks for the numbers you said in the hills, which probably means they went through the water to the north.” She looked pointedly at her, “Out of our territory.” 

“You think they won't be back?” Umi riposted. 

“I think that their plan makes no sense. They attack us and then flee to the rocky quagmire to the North? There's nothing up there. I don't think there's any villages even.” 

“Perhaps the warden will know more,” 

“Oh? So he's a warden?” a note of extra interest entered her voice. 

Uh oh. Riko was a notorious flirt. Especially with the westerners. They needed to focus on the mission! She'll need to distract her. “Riko, he's a Blackstone.” 

Riko paused, “One of the bad guys from the great war?” 

Excellent. “Yup! And he saved what was left of the village.” 

Riko sounded irritated, “That doesn't make sense. Weren't they all about 'only the strong survive' and 'freeing us from the shackles of society?'” 

By this point they had reached the base of the hill. “The very same group. He's got their creepy symbol all over his armor and everything.” The distraction was working perfectly. 

“So this guy is rogue? Then why still wear their stuff?” 

… That was a good point. “*huff* You can ask him when we get there. *huff* You'll finally get a chance to practice your Latin, *huff* with a native speaker.” 

“Aw, is the princess spending too much time reading, *huff* and not enough time training?” 

*Sigh* Umi hated it, but that's why Riko loved teasing her about her father. “You'll *huff* pay for that *huff* in sparring.” 

Riko lowered her cloth mask and grinned, “I *huff* look forward to it.” 

The rest of the trip was devoid of conversation as they focused on climbing. Umi personally didn't understand why a place of healing was at the top of the steepest hill in the northern Myre. Senzo had said that it was something to do with when they had pushed the knights into their own lands. They ran into the ashigaru as they crested the top of the hill. The soldiers approached at first but quickly moved away when they spotted Umi. She internally harumphed. It had to be her father's doing. He almost certainly was still be trying to set her up with one of the other daimyos' sons. Probably Seijuro's again. They were the most powerful house behind the empress' own. Out here at least her father couldn't do much. … Mostly. 

None of the others were outside the healing temple. Weird … the house had some smoke coming from one of the chimneys, so it was still occupied. Umi turned to Riko, but she was already gone. *sigh* That was so very like her. She gave a tired grin behind her mask. Riko was very serious when needed, but was always up for games when not. She was almost certainly trying to spy on the warden. Might as well go find him and the others then. 

The inside was warmed up. Most likely to soothe the villager's acing bodies and spirits. Oh how she longed to fall asleep. Without Riko to keep her spirits up, it was seeping into her bones. She yawned as she wandered the house. Not in the bedrooms. The back was clear. Umi lifted her mask and rubbed her eyes as she entered the medical room. There the village women were fast asleep. She heard talk coming from the kitchen. 

“There's some derelict villages up there, but no one has lived in them since the great war.” That sounded like Senzo. 

“What of this?” and that was the Warden. 

She really should get his name. Umi walked through the door as Risa started to answer, “There is a mining village but it was – Ah, Umi, a successful mission?” 

Umi nodded, “Brought her back safe and sound.” 

Before Risa could respond, the Blackstone said, “So the shinobi is yours?” 

Riko flipped out of the rafters to land next to him, “Wow! How did you know?” 

Only Senzo looked surprised to see her. He harumphed when he noticed this. 

The warden pointed at the beam of wood that Riko had come from, “It made noise.” 

Riko grinned and looked over at Umi, “Attentive and he speaks Japanese? Looks like Umi found a keeper.” 

“I – he 's– we're not -” Umi was tripping over herself trying to explain. Her face had turned beet red … without her mask to hide behind. Oh, Riko would pay for this. 

Risa face palmed, “Riko, shut up and join the briefing. Umi, you too.” 

The pair came to the table, Riko looking like the cat that swallowed the canary and Umi trying to hide her face. She did not need this. This was not how you made a first impression! How was he going to teach her if he thought she was a creep? Focus Umi! There were still villains to stop. 

“Riko, report,” Risa commanded. 

Suddenly all business, Riko saluted and delivered her report, “These invaders carried symbols of the Iron legion. I couldn't find any tracks surrounding the village but in the water that would be impossible.” 

“So either they are framing the legion or our new 'friend' has been lying to us,” Risa mused before looking pointedly at the warden. 

Umi huffed, “And the word of the village women means nothing?” Risa was being unreasonable again. 

“Umi, she has to –“ Senzo started. 

Risa held up her hand to stop him, “I have to think of how the capital might see this Umi. I believe you, but they might not.” 

That made sense … and was very understanding … of the murderers of her husband. What was she planning? 

Her worry was interrupted by the warden's voice, “Why be the Iron legion? Why do they want war?” 

“To cause chaos for them to raid in,” Risa said as though it were obvious. 

“No, he's right. That would only cause more military presence and make their lives difficult,” Senzo cut in. 

“Maybe they are Iron legion,” suggested the Blackstone. 

They all stared at him. Of all the people who might have suggested it, he was not on her list. “What do you mean?” Umi asked. 

“Many small legions in the Iron legion. Make them weaker. Take their name.” 

“A ploy to gain power?” asked Senzo. 

“That's depressingly likely,” added Risa with a sigh. 

“It explains their specific targets,” Senzo thought aloud. 

“But not why they didn't take the money in the previous villages.” Risa sighed. 

“These guys sound like loons,” mused Riko 

Risa stifled a snort of laughter, “You may be right. For now we will assume that they are former military seeking to spark a war.” She gestured to the villages to the east, “Riko, I want you to go and see if they made there way to the silver mine to the east. Senzo and I will investigate the village and the outer forest.” She looked straight at Umi. 

Eep. 

“YOU are going to protect the villagers until reinforcements arrive.” 

Huh. She was normally a scout, why was she guarding the villagers? Risa knew this, what was she thinking? Umi couldn't object with a guest in the room, so instead she said, “Um, okay.” 

Risa turned to the warden, “You will stay here and rest. Do. Not. Run.” 

He shrugged, “How would I?” 

She glared at him. 

The Blackstone raised his hands, “Yes ma'am.” 

Apparently satisfied, Risa nodded. “Now leave. I have additional instructions for the others.” 

Somewhat reluctantly he limped from the room. Senzo checked to make sure he was gone before giving a thumbs up. 

Umi wasn't able to contain her question any longer, “Risa, I'm a scout. Shouldn't Senzo be watching the villagers?” It wasn't proper to question your superiors, but Umi had long ago abandoned any notions of being 'proper' when she became a nobushi. 

Risa smiled predatorialy. “It was you I actually wanted to talk to Umi.” 

*Gulp* She didn't like that look. 

“Thus far you've been bumbling your way around the warden, making sure to be as foolish as possible.” 

“Hey!” 

“He'll think he can get information out of you, you're going to see what he wants to know.” Risa began pacing. “Give him breadcrumbs and we might be able to figure out why he's actually here.” 

That wasn't her job. Why all the mistrust? … Right, Blackstone. He did save a village though! That had to count for something. 

As Umi opened her mouth to object, Riko interrupted her. “If he hadn't of thrown the iron legion under the cart I might have suspected something. Now I don't know.” 

“The whole situation is strange,” said Senzo, stroking his beard. 

Risa stopped and pointed at them all, “Even more reason to find out what he's really after.” She picked up a set of prayer beads, “Senzo and I will be looking after the villagers' spirits.” After she put them in a satchel, she turned to Riko, “You will actually be going to the silver mine. Warn them or, if they have been attacked, report back here.” 

“Right,” Riko said and marched out with a wink at Umi. 

Senzo saw this and shook his head. He looked up at Risa, “You know I'm not a shinto priest, right?” 

Risa grinned, “You're the closest we've got old man, grab your things.” She slung the pack before remembering something, “Umi, try to get more information out of him too.” 

“Yes, MOM,” Umi said, sticking her tongue out. 

Risa gave an evil grin, “And try not to get distracted by his big muscles.” She snickered at the look on Umi's face and turned to leave. 

Senzo face palmed and gave Umi an apologetic shrug before following Risa. 

Okay … spy on the Blackstone … no problem. Be bumbling. Umi sighed. With how things had gone so far, that shouldn't be a problem. Her foot would undoubtedly find itself firmly planted in her mouth. Ugh. She was too tired for this. 

She walked out into the current resting room. All the villagers were still asleep and the warden seemed to have joined them. He looked rather peaceful. He – Focus Umi! He was the enemy … even if he had been noble and heroic … Yeah. She didn't feel very convinced by this *yawn* argument though. She sat down on the warm floors, her nodachi resting before her. 

… Some time passed and Umi kept finding herself drifting off. 

Maybe if she closed her eyes for … Just a … Moment … She … … … ZZZZZZZZ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hello to Riko, the troublemaker! Like pretty much all of my characters, she's fun to write. In modern days she would absolutely be a troll. Not the mean spirited kind. Just pranks and memes.  
> A bit shorter than some of the others but sometimes they be like that. Not sure why, but my hand cramped up editing this. Guess I should do more of my carpel tunnel exercises. No real deeper insight here, just a simple chapter, making it's way in the world.  
> I plan on writing up a chapter of "the hunt" next, so depending, it might be a month or so before the next one of these. Doesn't help that school is picking up ... as well as some family trouble. I will endeavor to keep the fan free of sh** and chug along though.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay safe out there!


End file.
